Tacoritos

Here is another Taste of Home favorite!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup refried beans
• 8 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Optional toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced ripe olives and sour cream

Directions

• In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in chili powder and garlic salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, sausage and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in refried beans; heat through.
• Spread 1/4 cup sauce in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spread 1 tablespoon sauce over each tortilla; place 2/3 cup meat mixture down the center of each. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with optional toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

So if  you're not on pinterest.com you're missing out. I found this recipe on there and here is the blog is was on to.http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html
I made these twice now and they are so easy and yumm! 
Crockpot Chicken Tacos

1 envelope Taco Seasoning
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 jar Salsa (16 oz)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

Jan's Wings

I have a mother-in-law who is super talented in a lot of areas; however, I would argue that one of her greatest talents is cooking.  She makes these super juicy, crispy, and overall delicious chicken wings.  They are my husband's FAVORITE!!  These wings are first breaded and fried, smothered in a sweet teriyaki-like sauce and then slow cooked to perfection. Are these wings quick and easy?  NO!  These wings are time consuming, very time consuming, and to be honest they are a real pain to make (which is why I typically only make them 2-3 times a year).  But are they worth it?  I would say YES.

Ingredients

• 1 C. Flour
• 1 T. Accent
• 2 whipped eggs
•  Butter for frying
• about 50 wings (2 bags from the freezer section works good, just be sure to thaw them out beforehand)
• Sauce
• 3 T. Soy Sauce
• 3 T Water
• 1 C. Sugar
• 1/2 C. Vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Mix accent and flour in a bowl.
3. Melt one cup butter in a frying pan.  
4. Dip the chicken in the egg, then the flour mixture and fry until golden brown.
5. Place in a single layer in a baking dish.
6. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together and pour over the chicken.
7. Bake at 325 for 2-3 hours, basting occasionally (about every 30 minutes).  

Cafe Rio

Café Rio is one of our favorite spots to grab a quick bite to eat.  Who knew making some of  Café  Rio's  signature dishes could be so quick and easy?  Here are three of their famous recipes: Cilantro Lime Rice, Creamy cilantro lime dressing, and their sweet pork.  This dinner literally takes 10 minutes to prepare (minus the 20 minute rice).

Cilantro Lime Dressing

 Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups sour cream
• ¾ cup mayo
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 package ranch dressing mix
• 4 tablespoons salsa verde (bottled)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 lime, juiced

 Directions

1. Blend in blender. 
2.  Keep refrigerated. 

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients

• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups water
•  Juice of 2 limes

Directions

1. Saute cilantro, garlic, and rice with 2 tablespoons olive oil. 
2.  Cook 3-5 minutes stirring constantly.  
3. Add water and lime juice.  
4. Cook 15 minutes.
5. Fluff with fork and enjoy  

Café Rio Pork

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb sirloin pork roast
• 1 cup salsa (maybe a bit more)
• 1 cup brown sugar (maybe a bit more, just make the amounts of salsa and brown sugar equal.)

Directions

1. Put pork in crock pot.
2. Mix salsa and brown sugar.
3. Pour mixture over pork.
4. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
5. Shred Pork and enjoy 

Wake Em' Up Breakfast Casserol

This is seriously the best breakfast casserole I've ever had.  I have made it several times and it is always a favorite :)


Serves 10-12


Ingredients

• 1 lb sausage or bacon (healthier I use fat-free sausage or turkey sausage)
• 8 eggs (for healthier I use 4 eggs and 8 egg whites)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder or 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1 green pepper diced ( I usually saute it before adding it to casserole because my husband doesn't like crunchy veggies in his food)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 c. small curd cottage cheese ( I sometimes substitute low-fat large curd and don't notice a big difference)
• 1 c. shredded swiss cheese ( you can use two cups of whatever cheese you have on hand, I usually use 2 cups of the mexican blend)
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 c. frozen hash browns
• 1/2 c. of your favorite veggie (ie. broccoli, onions, zuchini, ect.  I usually add sauted onions, and canned green chilies)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. brown sausage or bacon in a skillet until cooked completely.
3. saute onion and green pepper in skillet using rendered fat from sausage or bacon.
4. in a large bowl combine eggs, mustard, salt, pepper, and cottage cheese.  Mix until eggs are slightly beaten.
5. Add hash-browns and cheese. Mix well, then add green pepper, onion, green chilies, and meat.  
6. After everything is mixed, pour into a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until center is set and edges are browned.
7. Let sit 10 minutes, then cut and enjoy. 

*I'll usually prepare this the night before and put it in the fridge, then pull it out and cook it at 350 for an hour.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Speaking of BBQ's and Picnics, here is another fabulous side dish everyone will love!! It is SO tasty!! Enjoy :)

serves 6

Ingredients

Fruit Salsa

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Chips

• 10 (10 inch)four tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Directions

1.  In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. 

            

Cranberry & apple coleslaw

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 lb shredded cabbage;

• ½ lb shredded carrots;

• 2 granny smith apples, cored and

chopped in small matchsticks;

• 2 cups fresh or dried cranberries;

• 1 cup mayonnaise;

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar;

• 2 tbsp honey, (optional; although highly recommended!)

PREPARATION

1 In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, apple

cider vinegar and honey, if using.

2 Add the cabbage, carrots, apples and cranberries

to the bowl and mix everything together.

This is an awesome coleslaw recipe that has become a family favorite!  There is just something about the sweet and tangy combination that makes it irresistible. It is the perfect side dish to bring to a BBQ or picnic and with the summer season coming up we will all be attending our fair share of those :)  Enjoy! 

Sweet and Spicy Jerk Ribs Recipe

Our mother-in-law gave us a subscription to Taste of Home Magazine for Christmas a couple of years ago.  This is one of our favorite recipes!  It is a MUST try.

Ingredients

• 2 racks pork baby back ribs (about 4-1/2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup Caribbean jerk seasoning
• 3 cups honey barbecue sauce
• 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

• Cut ribs into serving-size pieces; brush with oil and rub with jerk seasoning. Place in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over ribs.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Skim fat from sauce before serving. Yield: 5 servings.